The Feeling of Defeat
by Jetstream Girge
Summary: As he dies, the little girl he sought to protect extends a bargain to him. His life would be hers and hers his, and it would restore his life... Or someone else can just swoop in and accept the deal instead, she's not that picky. Unless the plot of the tale is overwhelming...


Hey guys! Got another one-shot for you. Like the last one I posted, this is from a prompt contest on the official forums. The prompt for this one was Lu makes her contract with Ciel, but something goes wrong and she ends up with someone else from the ElGang as her partner. The _plot_ I came up with seemed perfect so... Enjoy!

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It was all over in an instant. He never stood a chance. Why would he? He was just a human. True he was a skilled assassin, but demons were not in his CV. He knew they were strong, but this? This wasn't even a fight. It was a slaughter.

He should've run when he noticed his bullets bounced off her skin like she was an iron wall. But he couldn't leave the little girl. The girl that reminded him of what he used to be. But this was just stupid.

How could he protect her if he was dead? What a stupid way to go...

 _Do you wish for a second chance?_ A disembodied voice sounded in the abyss of limbo. A second chance it offered. A chance for him to make this right.

 _I can restore your life. But in exchange, you must-_

"YES!" a voice cried out, but it wasn't his. Then it hit him.

 _Wait, what? This isn't an exclusive offer!?_

"Wait wait! I'll do it! I'll take tha-"

 _Then the contract is complete._

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO..." his voice, now alone in the depths of death faded away to silence...

* * *

"Whew, looks like I got to him just in time." The demon called Lu let herself drop gracefully – yes, gracefully like a dead swan – onto the forest floor. When she forged the contract with her new partner she was transported to a forest of unknown origin. She had no clue where she was, but she knew it was far away from those demonic assassins.

Giggling at this new feeling of power – power she had not felt in centuries – she looked to the blue sky peeking through the roof of leaves and branches above. "We are now one. We share the same fate, so I hope you're ready for the path ahead, Ciel," she called to her companion, who she could sense was hidden away in some nearby brush.

"Um… I'm sorry, but who is Ciel?" Wait a minute. That voice was definitely _not_ Ciel's voice, nor a man's voice for that matter. It sounded more like a woman, and women were definitely _not_ men and Ciel was definitely _not_ a woman.

But all the little demon queen could utter in response was, "Huh?" She slowly sat up and turned to face the bushes just in time to see the owner of the voice step out.

The newcomer, as indicated by her voice earlier, was definitely a woman. But not just any woman, she was an elf. Her pointed ears were evidence enough of that, though it was sort of hard to tell the difference between demon ears and elvish ears, but hers were most certainly more pointy. Her flowing greenish blonde hair cascaded down until it reached her knees, covering her exposed back. She wore a green halter top with a white skirt and boots, and a pair of black fingerless gloves to complete her outfit. The only things that really looked out of place on her were her crystal blue eyes and the cross mark on her forehead.

Now, normally these would be the features that Luciela R. Sourcream would pick out immediately, but her attention was drawn to something else so engrossing, she blocked out all other visual cues.

The elf looked at, what appeared to her to be, the child and leaned over with a small smile. "I'm sorry dear, are you looking for someone? My name is Rena. Maybe I can help you find him. You called him Ciel right?" she offered gently. But her words seemed to be lost on Lu, because as soon as she leaned over, the little demon started sniffling.

"Uuuuu… hic… Uuuuu…" Sobs clawed their way into her throat, making the elf suddenly stand up in surprise.

"Oh my, please don't cry! I'm sorry if I scared you," she relented.

"Uuuuu… WAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" She couldn't hold it in anymore, Lu let out a wail of despair that had Rena scrambling around the child that threatened to drown herself in her own tears.

"Oh, please dear, stop crying! I don't know what's wrong, but let me help you!" she would occasionally reach out to touch the child reassuringly, but would always retract her hand suddenly, afraid her touch would only make it worse.

"WAAAAAAAAHHHHH! It's not _fair_!" Never before had Lu cried so hard, not even when she was bound in that El forsaken prison for all those centuries. She was crying because she had been soundly and utterly defeated before she could even put up a fight. She would rather deal with the shame of being locked away for another hundred centuries than face down this… thing.

"Pardon? What's not fair, sweetie?" Rena asked.

"WAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" It was hopeless. Every time Rena opened her mouth or moved, Lu just started wailing louder and louder, until a slight popping sound came from Rena's temple…

"THAT'S IT! STOP CRYING YOU DAMN BRAT, OR I WILL GIVE YOU SOMETHING TO CRY ABOUT!" Lu immediately ceased her balling, though sporadic sniffles worked their way to the surface. Rena had her hands over her own mouth, a slight blush on her cheeks.

"Oh my, I'm sorry about that. I have been told that my… temper is a tad excessive. I didn't mean to lash out like that." After taking in a couple deep breaths she started again. "Now then, what was it that made you cry so much? I've seen Aisha bawl before, but not like that."

A tiny hand lifted from the forest floor and all the fingers but the index digit closed into a fist, pointing at the elf. Confused, Rena tilted her head quizzically.

"Me? I'm sorry if I scared you, but-"

"Not you! Those!" Lu jabbed her finger at the elven woman.

"Those? What are you talking ab-"

"Those! Those things! Those big, giant th-"

"IF YOU INTERRUPT ME AGAIN, I WILL HOGTIE YOU OVER A HAMEL SHARK TANK, YOU BRAT!" Once more, Lu snapped her mouth shut at Rena's… urging.

Lucieala R. Sourcream, one of the greatest demon lords in the fell realm, had been utterly and absolutely defeated…

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 **So what'd you all think? Great _plot_? If you find the official Elsword relationship chart and see Lu's thoughts on Rena, you will understand where I was going with this. Anyways, please Read and Review. Until next time!**


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